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Guterres in Damascus
UN Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Damascus for a three-day visit and urged the international community to “spare no effort to support the people of Syria,” as he kicked off his first trip to the Arab nation as U.N. chief nearly two years after the fall of Bashar Assad.
“The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres affirmed that the Golan is Syrian land, stressing that the United Nations stands for the safety, independence, and sovereignty of Syrian territories, and calling for an end to all Israeli violations, while Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Shibani called for the Israeli withdrawal from Syrian territory and the implementation of the 1974 Disengagement Plan”
Guterres held talks with Syria’s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, before touring the old quarter of Damascus and the Umayyad Mosque, and he also visited Saydnaya military prison just north of Damascus.
The AP report said Guterres criticized Israel’s actions in the country’s south, where Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes on Syrian military facilities and periodic incursions into villages outside the buffer zone.
The visit comes as Syria tries to recover from the civil war that broke out in March 2011 and killed nearly half a million people, with the U.N. estimating that 90% of Syria’s population lives in poverty and a World Bank assessment putting rebuilding costs at about $216 billion.
In a joint new conference, Guterres told journalists that the U.N. recognizes “without limitations, that the Golan Heights belong to Syria,” while Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani criticized Israel for violating Syria’s sovereignty and said there can be no regional peace amid continued Israeli military operations and occupation.
Sovereignty and direct threats
At a joint press conference at Tishreen Palace, Guterres and Asaad al-Shibani framed the Golan dispute as a sovereignty issue, with Guterres saying, “What is happening in the region around the Golan Heights is totally unacceptable.”
The New Arab reported that Guterres reiterated the U.N. position that “The Golan is Syrian territory,” while calling for an end to Israeli incursions and violations as he urged reconstruction support.
France 24 said Guterres was expected to reaffirm support for Syria’s transition after Ahmed al-Sharaa overthrew Bashar al-Assad, and it quoted the U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric saying the opportunity is “to lay the foundations for a future for Syria that will be more stable, more inclusive and more prosperous for all Syrians.”
France 24 also described how, after Assad’s December 2024 overthrow, Israel sent troops to occupy the UN-patrolled buffer zone on the Golan and carried out strikes and repeated incursions deeper into Syrian territory.
In the same period, the UN chief’s remarks were paired with Syria’s call for an “immediate and unconditional Israeli withdrawal,” as France 24 said the Syrian foreign minister made that demand in response to the situation around the Golan Heights.
Reconstruction and next steps
Beyond security, the visit centered on reconstruction support and the transition, with Guterres telling reporters that the U.N. stands with Syria at a “pivotal moment” and appealing for international backing for recovery.
“The UN chief on a visit to Damascus urges the international community to support Syrian people The UN chief on a visit to Damascus urges the international community to support Syrian people DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — U”
TeleSUR said Guterres stated, “We are ready to support a political transition and transitional justice in Syria,” at a joint press conference with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al Shaibani.
Shafaq News reported that the talks focused on strengthening cooperation between Syria and the U.N. on humanitarian efforts, supporting early recovery and reconstruction initiatives, and reaffirming respect for Syria’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.
The Jerusalem Post added that Syria’s state media SANA said Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani and Guterres pledged to deepen cooperation “during talks in Damascus on Saturday, with reconstruction, recovery, and Syria’s sovereignty dominating discussions.”
As Syria seeks to rebuild, the sources tied the next phase to lifting restrictions and expanding investment, with the AP noting that cuts to international aid have worsened living conditions and with the New Arab saying countries emerging from prolonged conflict could not rebuild alone.
